it was just four minutes

I run a very tight ship around here most days. I drop the elementary school kiddos off at 8:45 and have exactly two hours and 45 minutes before I have to pick J up from Kindergarten. Those two hours and 45 minutes are like gold. Anything I need to do that is easier to do without a 6yo in tow have to be done in those precious 165 minutes.

Yesterday’s morning task list went like this:
– 8:45-9:20 three mile run straight from the school
– 9:20-9:40 shower & get dressed, wince in pain from my chafed legs (running shorts for the first time this year) and log my miles into my marathon schedule (because I like to keep track of things, it gives me a sense of control you know)
– 9:40-10:15 grocery shop (I write my list in order of the store aisles so I’m very quick)
– 10:15-10:20 put away groceries
– 10:30 chiro appointment
– 11:30 pick up the boy

As you can see, it’s a fairly tight schedule. There’s little time for idle chit-chat or traffic delays. So when the grocery clerk helping the person in front of me entered the wrong code and couldn’t fix the problem herself and kept giggling about it while we had to wait four excruciating minutes for a manager to come fix the problem, it annoyed me. Yes, those four minutes really did impact my day. I live in such a small town that there were only two lanes open to begin with. If I hadn’t already unloaded all my groceries (in order by the way, refrigerated items together, produce together etc because it makes it faster to put away at home) I could have switched lanes. And believe you me I seriously considered loading my cart back up and heading to the self-check lane. But I didn’t. And I tried not to look impatient. Really, I did.

But I failed.

And when I finally got up to the register (after the person wrote a check and couldn’t figure out that new fangled machine that you have to use to sign for the check after it’s finally processed) that clerk didn’t even greet me pleasantly. She could tell I was ticked off and apparently decided my client relationship wasn’t worth salvaging – which just ticked me off more. Because those four minutes?? They really did make a difference in the rest of my morning.

It’s like dominoes people – you knock one down and the whole row falls right after it.